Closer

CHICAGO -- Interim manager Dave Trembley sent the message even before Corey Patterson led off the ninth inning with his fourth hit, a double off All-Star closer Bobby Jenks that made a once seemingly insurmountable lead look vulnerable. As the Orioles prepared for the ninth inning, Trembley paced around the dugout and told his team several times, "We're going to play the win." He asked his players to take chances on the bases and to be patient at the plate. He didn't want his best hitters to bunt.

Mark McGwire came far closer yesterday to dropping off the ballot than entering the Hall of Fame. In an apparent repudiation of baseball's so-called steroid era, just 23.5 percent of Hall of Fame voters endorsed McGwire, the seventh-leading home run hitter in major league history, in his first turn on the ballot. He needed an additional 281 votes for induction, and came within 101 votes of being dropped from the ballot. Among other candidates, longtime closer Rich "Goose" Gossage fell 21 votes short of the 409 needed for election, receiving 71.2 percent.

TORONTO -- While there is uncertainty about who will be the Orioles' closer next year with the news that Chris Ray had ligament transplant surgery on his right elbow, manager Dave Trembley said there should be no such ambiguity for the rest of this season. Even though Trembley removed Danys Baez in the middle of a save situation during Wednesday's 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees, the manager said Baez will remain the team's closer in most situations. "I don't think there's anybody else," Trembley said.

Your friendly neighborhood columnist dived headlong into his fantasy season Sunday with a six-hour auction during the day and a mixed-league draft at night. As is often the case in this foolish pursuit, my best-laid plans became obsolete about an hour after I called out the first bid. So this recap shall serve as a bit of a cautionary tale. But before I explain, let me set up the day. You may remember about five weeks ago, I offered to set up a league for fantasy hard-cores. Well, it came together, and we all met and went through an 11-team, American League auction last weekend.

JUPITER, Fla. -- The question was asked of Ray Miller yesterday: When do your pitchers dial it up during spring training?"Any time after their first time out there," Miller answered dryly.Using Miller's Grapefruit League calendar, yesterday's exhibition against the St. Louis Cardinals was time for Mike Timlin to turn it on.The Orioles' new-and-improved $16 million closer offered a solid reply with a scoreless eighth inning in an 8-5 win, securing three ground-ball outs while ignoring his slider, his signature pitch.

Quote: "I haven't lost any confidence in my ability to get anybody out. By the fan reaction, you'd think so." -- Cubs closer Rod Beck, who retired one of four batters before being pulled, to loud boos from the crowd of 39,915.It's a fact: The Pirates are 8-3 in the daylight.Who's hot: The Phillies' Rob Ducey is 8-for-15 (.533) in his past six games with two homers and five RBIs.Who's not: In the last three games, Expos starting pitchers gave up 19 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings for an ERA of 14.66.

NEW YORK -- He seems thrilled by the challenge, by the mystery of the talent in the cannon disguised as his right arm. As the days pass, as his role on the New York Mets becomes more important and more permanent, it has become possible to witness Armando Benitez grow as a pitcher, game to game.Sometimes inning to inning. Sometimes pitch to pitch."What you're watching," Mets manager Bobby Valentine says, "is the creation of a bona fide major-league pitcher. It's something to see."The Orioles, who traded Benitez last off-season after he struggled as their closer in 1998, may get to see how far he has come starting tonight, when they open a three-game series with the Mets at Camden Yards.

Its past has been dotted with walkovers by Whirlaway and Citation, a historic match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, a 30-year hiatus between races, a revival 11 years ago, a track record by Farma Way in 1991 and purses ranging all the way up to $1 million.The likes of Cigar and Skip Away have prevailed this decade in the Pimlico Special, a Grade I event for older horses at the classic Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles.Today's 34th renewal brings together for the first time the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Real Quiet, and the hard-luck horse of the 1997 Triple Crown series, Free House, who was third in the Derby, second in the Preakness and third in the Belmont.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Given eight innings by Sidney Ponson, the Orioles celebrated a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Angels on Wednesday night but left Edison International Field wondering about the game's ending.His patience exhausted by a string of poor late-inning performances, manager Ray Miller bypassed closer Mike Timlin in favor of left-hander Arthur Rhodes during a tense ninth inning that ended nervously, with a drive by the Angels' Todd Greene chasing B. J. Surhoff to the left-field wall.The save was the seventh of Rhodes' career and the first by any reliever other than Timlin this season.

NEW YORK -- Mariano Rivera has a way with numbers, building up some and shrinking others. In the process, he has enhanced his reputation as baseball's most dominant closer while mowing down opponents.The New York Yankees' right-hander tossed 12 1/3 scoreless innings in the 1999 postseason, increasing his streak to 25 2/3 over 18 outings, and capped his team's World Series victory over the Atlanta Braves last night with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in a 4-1 victory.The last run he allowed in the playoffs came in Game 4 of the 1997 Division Series against Cleveland.

A month into his audition for the Orioles' long-term closer role, Jim Johnson has learned quickly about the difficulty of pitching the ninth inning. "I make good pitches and they get hit, and I make bad pitches and they get hit," Johnson said. "I give up runs at the worst time right now. That's just part of pitching at the end of the game." In Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Johnson surrendered a game-tying homer to Ben Zobrist, blowing his second save in eight opportunities since taking over the closer's spot from the traded George Sherrill.

CHICAGO - -After his game-ending strikeout of the Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria with the tying run on third base Thursday, Orioles closer Jim Johnson punched his fist into his glove. It was a rare show of emotion from Johnson, who vowed to treat the closer role no different from his previous one as setup man. It also was further proof that it will be easier said than done. "I was pumped up, definitely," said Johnson, who earned his fifth save in the Orioles' 8-7 victory. "It was a big win. It wasn't just for me, it was the way the whole game played out. We were behind, we came back.

It has been 30 years since he starred on the mound, a master of comic relief for the Orioles. Was there ever a closer like Don Stanhouse, the big right-hander with the Harpo Marx hair, the wacky demeanor and a knack for making every save an adventure? The closer for Baltimore's 1979 American League champions, Stanhouse won seven of 10 decisions, saved 21 games and compiled a 2.85 ERA. But it was the way he pitched - creating a jam, then escaping it - that drove Orioles manager Earl Weaver nuts.

Oakland swept the Orioles at home the first weekend of June, but the A's have made significant changes since then. They traded star outfielder Matt Holliday to the St. Louis Cardinals and then jettisoned veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Minnesota Twins. Oakland also released slumping slugger Jason Giambi, who was unable to jump-start an offense that is last in the American League in home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and extra-base hits. Entering Sunday's series finale at the Kansas City Royals, rookie closer Andrew Bailey had converted 10 straight save opportunities and ranked second among major league relievers with 71 strikeouts.

Per doctors' orders, Orioles rookie starting pitcher Brad Bergesen stayed away from Camden Yards on Friday, keeping his bruised leg elevated at home. He will also be away from the mound for a couple of weeks after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, one day after a line drive from the Kansas City Royals' Billy Butler hit him squarely on the shin in the seventh inning. Bergesen, who is 7-5 with a 3.43 ERA and has emerged as the club's best starter, does not appear to have a hairline fracture.

George Sherrill has been involved in so many trade rumors for the past two seasons that it became a joke in the Orioles' bullpen. But with Thursday's trade of Sherrill to the Los Angeles Dodgers for third base prospect Josh Bell and pitching prospect Steve Johnson, the reality is that the Orioles are without an established closer. Jim Johnson, the former minor league starter who has three career big league saves on his resume, is expected to get the first opportunity to fill that role.

The Orioles can't wait for the future to get here. But maybe that's because the present has more emotional highs and lows than Real Housewives of New Jersey. Look what happened to this team in less than 24 hours. Tuesday night, at about the time most people were going to bed or watching Conan O'Brien, the Orioles came back from a nine-run deficit to beat the Red Sox, 11-10, at Camden Yards for the greatest comeback win in club history. The players were giddy - well, about as giddy as you can imagine guys like Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora getting.

TORONTO -A day after George Sherrill blew his second save in six opportunities this season, Orioles manager Dave Trembley declined to endorse the 2008 All-Star as his full-time closer. Trembley said it could be a "day-by- day" decision on who gets the ball in a save situation. "I think No. 1, we have to do what's best to get us on the winning track, and No. 2, I have to take a look at the situation and do what I feel is in the best interest of the team for today," Trembley said before Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in a game in which a save situation didn't arise.

Do Americans want to see the truth? Yes - but it is not available to them for viewing, according to my photojournalist friend. The mainstream American outlet that ran his piece on the rising death toll in the streets of Guatemala City left out photos of the dead. The editors appreciated the work but were held to a policy against running pictures of corpses. How, he wondered, can you hope to visually convey the gravity of a story on the systemic murder of civilians and not include depictions of the carnage?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Based solely on resumes, the Orioles' 2009 bullpen should be a major strength. George Sherrill is an All-Star closer, and Chris Ray has a 33-save season and an electric arsenal. Jim Johnson was one of baseball's best setup men last year, and veteran Jamie Walker has made a career of shutting down left-handed hitters. Dennis Sarfate and Matt Albers are young, versatile pitchers with strong arms and untapped potential. On paper, this version of the Orioles' bullpen looks to be the club's best since 2002, when it ranked second in the American League in ERA. But there's a catch - one that will go a long way toward determining the success of this season.